Taylor Brooks poured in six goals and made four steals on Saturday, leading No. 3 SBCC to a 12-8 upset of top-ranked Riverside in the 21st MidState Invitational at Cuesta College.
Annie Ackert added a hat trick and Zoe Johnson made 10 saves and three steals.
The Vaqueros (17-3) played No. 2 Fullerton in the championship game and fell to the Hornets for the second time this year, 10-8. Fullerton (14-1) won the second quarter 4-0 and led 7-2 at the half.
"We showed a lot of improvement this week," said SBCC coach Chuckie Roth. "The kids are buying into our team concepts and we make some mistakes but learn from them.
"Annie Ackert had a great weekend of growth and mental toughness which I am very proud of. Bleu Ricketts [4 drawn ejections vs Riverside] has been performing very well at center and has brought a new dynamic to our frontcourt game. Hana Wigzell had some great goals vs. Riverside and made a dynamic cross pass to Taylor Brooks in the fourth quarter for one of the most incredible examples of athleticism I've seen this season."
The Vaqueros led 5-1 after a quarter against Riverside and 8-4 at the half. The power play was in rhythm, going 7-for-13. Ricketts had four drawn ejections.
In the Fullerton match, Brooks scored four goals and recorded three steals. In four games this weekend, Brooks tallied 20 goals and 11 steals.
"Taylor's outside shooting was very good and Zoe Johnson's balance in the goal really improved this week," added Roth. "She had a great penalty block vs. Fullerton."
The Vaqueros will play No. 7 Golden West on Friday morning in the Ventura Tournament.
